Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!

[David Ilvedson]

Sam,

You need to realize the "American School of Piano Tuning" is giving you just a taste of this work...and not a particularly good taste, I might add...
Time to expand your knowledge...go to www.ptg.org and start searching the many sources of info available there.   Get the Journal on CDs, just to name one source.

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044


----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Samuel Choy" <sam at scpianoservice.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Received: 7/23/2006 9:59:14 AM
Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!


>Hi Andrew,

>> Huh, why not?.  I've tuned century old uprights that the owners were 
>> absolutely certain hadn't been tuned in 70 years back up to pitch.  First 
>> pass to pitch.  Second pass with over-pull to keep pitch and third to fine 
>> tune.  I did let each string down first to break rust bonds and then 
>> pulled it up.  Not a single broken string and it was rusty.  It had 
>> adequate pin tension a little on the low side.
>>

>The piano tuning curriculum I took, The American School of Piano Tuning, 
>recommended against it. From the replies I've received on this post, though, 
>it seems that is unnecessary if you take the proper care.
>Sam Choy



>---- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Andrew and Rebeca Anderson" <anrebe at sbcglobal.net>
>To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
>Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 8:47 AM
>Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!


>>
>>>I didn't dare raise it to pitch because it had been so long since it was 
>>>tuned. I just tuned it to itself. It was the most horribly out of tune 
>>>piano I have tuned in my short career. When I was over, it still sounded 
>>>terrible to me, but the customer was thrilled. He said it was the best he 
>>>ever heard it sound (he's not a piano player). I was honest and didn't 
>>>pretend that I was happy with how it sounded. I told him that it would 
>>>take several tunings to make it sound good. He's having me back in six 
>>>months to give it another tuning.
>>
>> Huh, why not?.  I've tuned century old uprights that the owners were 
>> absolutely certain hadn't been tuned in 70 years back up to pitch.  First 
>> pass to pitch.  Second pass with over-pull to keep pitch and third to fine 
>> tune.  I did let each string down first to break rust bonds and then 
>> pulled it up.  Not a single broken string and it was rusty.  It had 
>> adequate pin tension a little on the low side.
>>
>>>The pins seemed to twist before they moved, making the instrument very 
>>>hard to tune. When I moved my tuning hammer, the pitch would go up, then 
>>>go down when I released it. I ended up very carefully applying constant 
>>>pressure to the tuning hammer until I felt the tuning pin turn a little. 
>>>It worked for me, though it took a long time. As far as hammer technique 
>>>goes, was that something you would have done?
>>
>> I have brand-new Bostons here at the all Steinway School that twist a lot 
>> of cycles before the foot budges.  Makes for a difficult session to get a 
>> stable tuning.  What seems to speed things up is little jerks on the 
>> hammer.  Slowly pulling the pin up until it budges is a recipe for broken 
>> stings.
>>
>> Andrew Anderson
>>
>>
>>
>>